Yeah, yeah. All hype. But not all hype goes unvalidated. Gilbert will get his chance this fall as a sophomore, eight months after being thrust into the national championship game against Alabama. He looked magnificent in the Longhorns spring game, throwing three touchdown passes, and might look similar once fans get to see him play against a defense that doesn't feature talent like Dont'a Hightower and Javier Arenas.

Michael wasn't too far off this year's list after rushing for 844 yards as a freshman, but if he can wrestle a few carries away from teammate Cyrus Gray with his performance, he might top 1,000 yards. And I can almost guarantee that no running back who runs for quadruple digits won't be considered one of the conference's top players.

Weeden showed promise in relief of Zac Robinson last season, engineering a second-half comeback win over Colorado in a Thursday night game. He'll be handed control of new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen's system, and could put up big numbers in his first year as starter.

4. Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma

Lewis has earned some space on the Big 12 blog before, but he might earn a spot on the list as a possible first-year starter in 2010. The last time anyone saw Lewis, he was running through Stanford kick returners. The next time they see him, he might earn a reputation as one of the conference's hardest hitters.

Okay, so the 2011 preseason list might be out of the question once the Huskers leave for the Big Ten, but Burkhead looked capable of being a rising star late last season after recovering from a foot injury. He rushed for over 90 yards in two of Nebraska's final three games, and will battle Roy Helu Jr. for carries as a sophomore. But if Nebraska's yet-undecided quarterback struggles, it may have to rely heavily on both, and the list could host both Burkhead and Helu.